ROCKY FACE, Ga. (Sept. 7, 2018) – Tennessee leads the Carpet Capital Capital Collegiate by a slim one-stroke margin after going 8 under in the first round at the Farm Golf Club. Tennessee counted two rounds of 3-under 69 from Brayden Garrison and Jake Meenhorst to climb the leaderboard.

"It was a great feeling to post a low number for the start of the season,” Meenhorst said. “The round had a bit of everything in it, but I was pleased to finish in the 60s and help the team."

Host Georgia Tech is close behind the Volunteers with a 7-under 281 total. The Yellow Jackets had four players move inside the top 10 individually in the first round as they seek to defend their 2017 Carpet Capital title.

Luke Schniederjans, who won this event in 2016 in what was his college debut, overcame illness to pace his team with a 3-under 69. The junior from Powder Springs, Ga., was bogey free on the back nine. Junior Tyler Strafaci of Davie, Fla., fired a 2-under 70 that included four birdies and two bogeys, and is tied for sixth place individually.

There’s a little Yellow Jacket in the Tennessee team van, as it turns out. The Volunteers are competing under first-year head coach Brennan Webb, who was an assistant to Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler from 2012-15 before becoming the head coach for three years at Middle Tennessee State. His assistant coach is former Yellow Jacket Bo Andrews (2010-14).

Webb noted how much his players benefitted from having course knowledge, too.

"Familiarity always helps and it definitely is nice to go back to a course that most of the guys have played before,” he said. “Tyler Johnson's first time, Hunter (Wolcott) has played here once a couple years ago and the other guys are all back for their third time. Obviously this field doesn't change much year-to-year so, most here feel the same familiarity."

Tennessee and Georgia Tech were the only two teams to get under par on the opening day of the event. Alabama and Kennesaw State are tied for third at even par. The course has been lengthened this year by more than 160 yards, bringing the total yardage to 7, 178. br>
Alabama’s Davis Riley took the individual lead with a 4-under 68, one shot ahead of four players at 69, including Schniederjans, Meenhorst, Garrison and Dalton State’s Ben Rebne.

Information from Tennessee Athletics and Georgia Tech Athletics used in this report

54-hole men's college tournament hosted by
Georgia Tech University at The Farm Golf Club.
The 7,012-yard, par-72 layout was designed by
Tom Fazio and is near Dalton, Ga., just over 90
miles north of the Georgia Tech campus. The
host Yellow Jackets have been the institutional
host of this event since its inception in 1989. The
field
typically maintains a predominantly ACC and
SEC flavor, with other nearby schools
participating, as well.